ok picure this if you will, in 1998 i ended up on disability. one of the things i had done in the event of a car accident,etc. was i took out long term disability...most major companies do not offer this option anymore..mine included.. so that gave me ssd and the long term disability check til 65. since 98 i've been living on the same amount of money cause when ssa gives me a cost of living increase..wooowoo...my company deducts it from my long term disab. check! This is legal by the way. so i guess you've figured this out. i am still living on the same income as 1998. no gains, no extra income. think about what salt cost in 98 and now, or gas, or ANYTHING. that should give u an idea of the challenges many of us face on totally fixed incomes.
i had planned ahead..invested a lot of my money and lived frugally when i worked...thank heavens cause i never dreamed this would be my destiny. what i do do is live like i don't know what tomorrow may bring. no point in being frozen with fear but i do carefully spend my money, plan errands, etc. my niece, age 20, says aunt"..." is cheap. well i don't call it cheap, i call it living within my means (her mother is in way over her head not due to the economy but by stupid spending habits) and not blowing it on impluse buying. i was told once to write down in a day's time everything i spent my money on. it's amazing how much we can blow without even knowing it.
i'm using these examples not because i'm wiser but in hopes someone else may benefit from what i do. to tell u the truth i sometimes i'm amazed how much money i can save by coupons, etc. it all adds up. and i thought i was poor in 98!!!! i even make an extra payment on my car each month if i have any left over to keep the interest as low as i can as i pay it off.
so having said that i know i am fortunate...much, much more fortunate than most people even with my income as it is. there are families living in shelters, elderly ppl without food or heat....it's frightening...i saw this coming some time ago...we as a country are like a runaway train. our appointed congress, elected by the ppl, could care less about us. it's all about meeee (them). i'm sick of what has happened to our once great country. .....
jme, but i do pray about this cause my grandchildren are growing up in a far different world than i once knew. (i sound like an ole lady with that comment) i'm an activist at heart so do what i can to place awareness where i feel it should be. i'm just thankful for what i have and will continue to try to be grateful for the roof over my head cause so many ppl don't have one anymore. and don't even let me get started on the gov. bailouts.
about 6 years ago i told my one son i was considering moving to a tropical isle-less clothes costs- far away from taxes, cost of living, etc. the only concern i have is my medical care. (being bp i was afraid he'd say to himself, uh -0h, mom's in one of her episodes. lol. he called me the other day and said how does new zealand sound? i had to laugh cause i was afraid to tell him long ago what i was thinking about doing...well let me get back to my atlas...hummm...
ps sorry if i ranted a little too much....